From the Editor: May 2005 - Development - Keep Your Options Open

Good technology doesn't make you pick sides. Stay flexible with today's most versatile tools and standards.

Last time we did a special issue with a focus on
software development, we called it the Cross-Platform
Development issue. But really, the overwhelming
majority of the software that runs on Linux is
cross-platform.

Sure, there are some Linux-exclusive tools, like the
kernel debugger Kprobes (page 22). But the rest of the
stuff in this issue, from Mozilla's Sunbird (page 14)
and Firefox (page 86) to the versatile compiler suite
GCC (page 78), is all wonderfully choice-preserving.
Want to switch architectures? Use a different
operating system? Even swap out your company's
business model?

One software vendor I know decided to go from being
a “pure software play” to a hardware company and
pulled it off in a matter of months. There are even
companies that will take your software load and
turn it into a Linux appliance with your logo and
everything, almost as easy as sending in a CD and
manual for duplication.

Some OS vendors profit by imposing a high cost of
switching away. But in the long run, it's good to
have users who can walk away. It makes you stay
good at what you do and gives you instant feedback
when you slip. Today's Linux users can get the same
applications on a different platform with a quick visit to
TheOpenCD.org or fink.sourceforge.net. We're not
staying on Linux just because we'd lose time or mangle
data by switching away—can any proprietary OS say
the same?

As a software developer you have more options today
than ever. You're not just choosing open source
or proprietary or deciding between direct sales
or channel. Develop for Linux and you can easily
offer your software as download, shrinkwrap, service
or appliance. Get started with development before you
have to make a final decision on the business model.

Speaking of choices, Greg Kroah-Hartman has a warning
for you: don't try to read files in the kernel
(page 38). He and the rest of the core kernel team
just don't like it. But guess what? You have the
freedom to read files in the kernel anyway. So if
you have to do it, do it. An OS developer's decision
that something is Bad doesn't apply to you.

In conclusion, beware of any technology that has an
“evangelist”. If a platform gives you enough choice
that you don't have to trust it, it's a good sign
that you can.

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